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Watson: Seven ways to prep for tonight's debut

Four years of research and the future of analytics are unveiled tonight at 7:30 PM Eastern, as Watson takes on Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter on a special three-day run of Jeopardy!

As of this writing, Watson remains in the lead in the Web visitors' poll at 55 percent. However, Brad Rutter has made significant gains at the expense of Ken Jennings, moving from single digits a few weeks ago to 26 percent, seven points ahead of Jennings. No doubt these numbers will shift again based on the outcomes of tonight's episode.

It's been a fascinating and fun ride so far, and if you're curious to know what Watson means for your own analytics-driven future, here are seven things you can do before tuning in: